A fact-finder report on Akron police negotiations suggests that police should receive pay raises, which runs counter to the city's request that the Fraternal Order of Police union accept concessions to help balance the city budget.

The test, which also measured understanding of religion and the U.S. Constitution, showed that Mormons and Evangelical Protestants score best on questions about Christianity, while mainline Portestants and Catholics did significantly worse.

CNN, Talking Points Memo and Huffington Post are all reporting that James O'Keefe, the independent videographer who exposed problems in ACORN, attempted to seduce a CNN reporter on video tape in an effort to embarrass the cable news network and reporter.

President Obama sat down with Rolling Stone magazine reporter Jann S. Wenner and discussed many issues, among them the Tea Party, Fox News, Wall Street, Afghanistan, global warming and much more.

On the war, he said that he is living up to a campaign promise to end the conflict in Iraq. The U.S. should have focused from the beginning on Afghanistan, where the attacks originated, and that is where he has focused the military. However, he said he was unhappy with American efforts up to 2009 to prepare Afghanistan for self rule.

Akron school board vice president Jason Haas, speaking for himself only, told the board Monday night in public session that he will vote against Issue 17. That's the charter amendment that would divert about $13 million in income tax revenue currently devoted to the school construction project to safety forces over the next three years. The city now wants voters to approve the diversion of a third of the income from that tax increase for safety forces for three years, adding five years at the end of the collection period. Superintendent David James said when the proposal was announced that he didn't foresee the diversion affecting the building schedule. However, Haas said that no one he's talked to sees it that way. ''In the days following the announcement of this ballot issue, several dozen people reached out to me by email, by phone calls, by stalking me wherever they could find me in town,'' Haas said. ''Not one, not a single person, was in favor of the proposal. The most common complaint was simple: 'I voted for new schools, not this.' I echo that sentiment. I too voted for new schools.'' Haas said the proposal puts the district in a difficult position. ''While it's true that voters have a chance to vote up or down on this issue, it's bothering those that I've talked to that it's even being put to a vote,'' Haas said. ''They believe a trust has been broken because in the 2003 campaign, we said this money would never be used for anything but school construction. And yet here we are, seven years later, discussing that very thing.'' He said he understands that local governments are in a bind because of decreased tax revenues. ''But I wish this ballot issue wasn't being held up as a temporary or permanent solution to an economic problem,'' He said. ''This proposal puts APS in a bad spot by having to explain a baffling financial system and looking like we support breaking a campaign promise. It's for those reasons, when I vote, I will not be supporting Issue 17.''

This was also posted at the Akron Beacon Journal education blog, First Bell.

An Associated Press report says that relaxed rules on campaign contributions -- the U.S. Supreme Court's decision opening the door to corporate giving and the ability to conceal contributions through non-profit advocacy groups -- have fueled a huge difference between Republican and Democratic campaign expenditures.

Ohio Attorney General candidate Mike DeWine, a former U.S. Senator, will speak at the Akron Press Club luncheon Tuesday Sept. 28. The buffet lunch will begin at 11:45 a.m., with the program following, at the Martin Center, 105 Fir Hill, on the University of Akron campus. Tickets are $15 for press club members and $20 for nonmembers. For reservations, e-mail RSVP@CMOResearch.com or call 330-564-4211 His opponent, incumbent Richard Cordray will speak Oct. 7.

At 2 p.m., Governor Ted Strickland, Lt. Gov. Candidate Yvette McGee Brown, Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray and Obama for America Campaign Manager David Plouffe will make a "Fight for Ohio" stop at the university. A rally for supporters and volunteers will be held at the Student Union, 3rd Floor, Ballroom B.

The poll also asked people where they get their information for the purposes of voting, and the top sources were cable news, newspapers and family. Among the cable news sources, Fox ranked first, as did Fox personalities, Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. Coincidently, Huckabee and Palin are Fox commentators.

The poll shows the race between Gov. Ted Strickland and John Kasich to be close, while Rob Portman is leading Lee Fisher for U.S. Senate. The results also show Tea Party advocates to be far more excited about the election than most others -- particularly Democrats -- and sharp divisions in the population regarding who is to blame for the deep economic recession.

Several national organizations are calling for a rally in Washington Saturday Oct. 2 in hopes of countering some of the Tea Party momentum, according to a New York Times report. The story quotes organizers as saying the Tea Party has been divisive, and they want to show agreement among many organizations on behalf of the American middle class.

Two recent fact checks on political statements by Betty Sutton and opponent Tom Ganley in the 13th Congressional district race show that neither was totally truthful.

In an analysis by PolitiFact and the Plain Dealer, Sutton's recent advertisement was given the "Pants on fire" label for suggesting that Ganley wants to "cut the dickens" out of Social Security, Medicare and Veterans' benefits. The analysis showed that Sutton's claim is a distortion of a Ganley interview with Human Events, a conservative news site.

On her Sarah Palin Notes Facebook site, the former Alaska governor solicits contributions to her SarahPAC to defeat 20 Congressional Democrats who voted for health care reform and whose districts voted for McCain-Palin in 2008.

Among them are two from Ohio: John Boccieri in the Canton-Wooster-Medina 16th District and Charlie Wilson, whose 6th Congressional district stretches from Marietta along the Ohio River to south of Youngstown. Palin's Facebook page doesn't name their competitors -- just that these incumbents need to be defeated.

The Columbus Dispatch reported this week that following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in January that opened the door to corporate campaign contributions, Cincinnati billionaire Carl Lindner was able to help Ohio U.S. Senate candidate Rob Portman with a great deal more money. Prior to the ruling, Lindner personally was limited to $4,800. However, after the ruling, Lindner's American Financial Group was able to give 83 times that amount, or $400,000, to a group backing the Republican's campaign - although the group says Lindner's cash wasn't specifically earmarked for pro-Portman efforts.

Twinsburg Township -- Citing rising costs and declining revenue for police service, members of the Safety Committee have endorsed a 3-mill replacement police protection levy that will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot.

The Hudson Economic Development Corp. will host a candidates forum from 8 to 10 a.m., Oct. 1 at the Country Club of Hudson, 2155 Middleton Road. City of Akron communications director Mark Williamson will moderate.

Candidates for Summit County Council At Large and a pair of state legislative seats will explain their positions on important current and policy issues.

Gubernatorial candidate John Kasich said in an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer that he would eliminate an evidenced-based model for school funding that was a key element in recent school funding reform, devised by State Rep. Stephen Dyer, D-Green, and Gov. Ted Strickland.

Dyer responded Tuesday with a telephonne conference with reporters, and both Dyer and Strickland plan a joint briefing today to respond.

A new Zogby International poll says President Barack Obama's approval rating has risen to its highest level since February and, in a generic Congressional ballot, voters are now nearly even on who they would more likely favor, Democrats or Republicans. A similar poll several days earlier gave Republicans the lead.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Gov. Ted Strickland, once a popular Democrat who led his party's near-sweep of state power four years ago on the coattails of GOP scandal, is at risk of losing his seat to Republican John Kasich, a folksy ex-congressman and former Fox News commentator who touts Tea Party values.Read the story at kypost.com at

The 10Questions program, which allows citizens to pose questions to candidates then select the questions they like best, experienced a surge in participation in recent days. As a result, the deadline for participation has been extended from midnight tonight (Monday Sept. 20), to 11:59 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 23).

Voters have an opportunity to pose questions to candidates for governor, U.S. Senate and key Congressional races in Ohio, then vote on all the citizen questions to help select the ones that should be answered by the candidates.

The 10Questions program is being used in 11 states, where participants have posed more than 700 questions to candidates in 46 races. Newspapers, among them the Akron Beacon Journal, Miami Herald and Phildelphia Inquirer, are helping with the effort by providing links and encouraging participation.

Two organizations that advocate for citizen involvement, open government and voter rights, Common Cause and Demos, released a study today identifying states where there have been recurring problems at election time.

Ohio was singled out as vulnerable to election disputes this fall, particularly in light of a number of close and important races.

With seven weeks until Ohio's Election Day, Governor Strickland continues to trail Republican opponent John Kasich in most polls. Those projections have Democrats calling on help from outside the state, and as ideastream®'s Rick Jackson reports, the support for Ted Strickland came from a much-loved, and highly visible, former President.Story from WPCN at http://www.wcpn.org/WCPN/news/32043

LAKE TWP. Republicans call it garbage and a personal attack on state Rep. Todd A. Snitchler, R-Lake Township.Democrats counter they are giving voters the facts.Read the story in the Canton Repository at http://www.cantonrep.com/news/x827973444/Snitchler-blasts-Dem-fliers-calling-him-a-rat

Tonight's gubernatorial debate between Republican John Kasich and Democrat Ted Strickland will be aired on WKSU, 89.7 FM, and on the Ohio News Network on cable television. The debate, to be held in Columbus and sponsored by the Ohio News Organization, begins at 8 p.m.

WASHINGTON: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Monday the administration is encouraged to hear Republicans say they would support President Barack Obama's plan to extend tax cuts to the middle class.

MEDINA: American Majority Action and a coalition of grassroots groups will open the Northern Ohio Liberty Headquarters, 4986 Gateway Drive, Suite 206, at 7 p.m. Sept. 14. The site ''will serve as a hub of grassroots activity in Northern Ohio'' for the election season, the groups said. ''Our goal is to partner with grassroots conservatives and restore the principles of limited, responsible government both in Washington and at state capitols across the country,'' Drew Ryun, president of American Majority Action, said in a prepared statement. For more details, go online to: http://americanmajorityaction.org.

The gubernatorial campaign for re-election of Gov. Ted Strickland released this afternoon that former President Bill Clinton will appear at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Tri-C Metro Campus Gymnasium, 2900 Community College Avenue, Cleveland. Information on public access was not immediately available.Clinton has been making appearances in a number of hotly contested races in recent days.

Clinton appears at a rally in support of first-term Democratic Rep. Mike McMahon, Friday, Sept. 3, 2010, on Staten Island in New York. Source: Associated Press

You can write or tape your own question directed at candidates for Ohio governor, U.S. Senate or Congressional seats in the Buckeye State by going to 10Questions. Ohioans can also vote on the questions they like best. Questions with the most votes will be posed to the candidates.

To say that Phil Davison is passionate about change in the Stark County Treasurer's office might be the understatement of the year. Davison says he won't apologize for his emotion. These are drastic times, he says. "If nominated, I'm comin', both barrels, guns loaded."

Still no word on whether interim Tallmadge Mayor Dave Kline (D) and councilman/opponent Jack Sarver (R) will be on the ballot in November. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has yet to settle a dispute that the Summit County Board of Elections sent her way last month.

BOE director Marijean Donofrio clarified that there is no specific deadline looming. Brunner knows BOEs around the state need time to get ballots printed and proofed and will no doubt issue a ruling "in the next few days" so Summit County can proceed, she said.

Rob Portman, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, is scheduled to visit Wrayco Industries in Stow at 1 p.m. today (Thursday.) Wrayco specializes in the manufacture of leakproof vessels, such as fuel and hydraulic tanks, for heavy construction equipment.

Rep. John Boccieri, an Iraq War vet, won a Congressional seat representing the 16th District in 2008. Jim Renacci, his GOP challenger, is trying to tie him to liberal Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. Read the CNN story.

Vincent J. Frustaci, the county's former chief deputy treasurer, is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge John R. Adams in Akron. He faces up to 10 years in prison for stealing almost $3 million from Stark County voters.

WASHINGTON: Seeking to give anxious Democrats a boost ahead of the November elections, President Barack Obama is pitching a trio of economic initiatives Wednesday and voicing unwavering opposition to Bush-era tax breaks for the wealthy.

Former congressman/prison inmate Jim Traficant got a standing ovation during a Tea Party event Wednesday at the Maplewood Career Center in Ravenna, the Ravenna Record-Courier reports. He's running for Congress again this year and said he'll push to replace the income tax with a 25 percent sales tax. Read the full story.

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama will call on Congress to pass new tax breaks that would allow businesses to write off 100 percent of their new capital investments through 2011, the latest in a series of proposals the White House is rolling out in hopes of showing action on the economy ahead of the November elections.

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y.: Democratic state Senate candidate David Mejias was charged Thursday with three counts of stalking a former girlfriend.

Mejias, 39, appeared in Nassau County Arraignment Court after spending the night in jail. He was arrested Wednesday in the Suffolk County town of Matinicock after police said he followed the woman in her car. After forcing her to pull over, he yelled and screamed at her, police said. The woman was driving with a new boyfriend at the time, prosecutors said.

Ohio's two major-party candidates for the U.S. Senate have agreed to three, one-hour televised debates that will be hosted by the state's eight largest newspapers, including the Akron Beacon Journal.

Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Lee Fisher will debate in Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo, the campaigns announced Wednesday morning. The Cleveland debate will be held Oct. 8 at the City Club of Cleveland.